What You're Worth
by SheWhomLaughsLast
Summary: Dahlia betrayed the one woman she loved. And, when Cara's end is near, Dahlia makes a decision that will change their lives forever. Will her sacrafice be in vain?
1. Chapter 1

**I don't exactly know everything about this show but I do know I love these two characters (the actress who played Dahlia was brilliant if I do say so) and I decided that I wanted the story to play out an entirely different way. Cut me some slack if I get some things wrong. It takes place over the episodes in which Dahlia is in. Completely AU.**

"Cara" Dahlia whispered, staring at the back of her lover, wanting so badly to run her finger tips over the smooth skin on her shoulder blades like she had million times before. She admired the way the light reflected over the blonde's pale skin, the moon so bright in the sky it lit the entire campsite. Cara didn't respond to her. "I've missed you." she said gently, hoping to get at least a grunt or movement from her ex(?)-lover. She knew Cara wasn't asleep, she never slept after they spent the night together unless Dahlia was curled up against her, head on her chest and arm wound around her waist "You're usually not one for poor bedside manners..." this time the brunette brushed her nose along the base of the blonde's neck. She inhaled her sweet but oddly musky scent, like wild flowers and tree sap. It was intoxicating and heart-warming...

Dahlia had never felt lonelier in her entire life.

Cara sat up, never turning to look at her last night's companion. "We need to get moving." Dahlia looked down at the ground as she too sat up, feeling her heart drop to her stomach. "We find the boy and we bring him back to Richard and then-"

"Then you leave with the Confessor and the wizard and seeker...and I never see you again."

"yes."

"But what if it didn't have to be this way?" they both stood at the same time, Cara turning to face Dahlia, confusion and curiosity twisting her features. "You could come back with me, Cara. We could be together, fight at each other's side like we used to. Together we were once unstoppable," the brunette purred softly "we could be again." she cupped Cara's cheek gently "I've missed you dearly, Cara." she breathed, running her thumb along the defined cheek bone. "and, though you'd never say it out loud, I know you've missed me too."

Cara stared straight into the stormy grey-blue eyes of the woman she'd grown up with, the woman who knew her better than she knew herself and felt a swell of adoration squeezed her chest. She had missed Dahlia, more than she thought she could ever miss or long for anything, let alone another human being. The thought of being with Dahlia again was far more than irresistible. And yet, feeling herself slipping away into the thunderous irises before her, she placed her hand over Dahlia's on her cheek and held it tightly, pulling it from her face. She intertwined their fingers, never breaking eye contact but pulling out of the storm.

"you're on the wrong side Dahlia." she muttered more harshly than she'd meant to "I've seen the light, Richard and Kahlan and Zed have opened my eyes to what the world can be for me, what I can have if I want it. But you..." she saw the hurt already surfacing in the brunette body language. Cara squeezed her hands, trying to get her to understand. "Darken Rahl has you blindfolded in the shadows, Dahlia. He wants nothing for you but to turn you into a mindless killer. It is a waste of a brilliant mind and a beautiful soul."

"A beautiful soul." she scoffed, turning her head from Cara. "They took that from us long ago, even I know better than to think I have any good left in me."

"I can see it in you Dahlia, I can feel it in your touch," this time it was Cara's turn to hold Dahlia's cheek in her hand an try too sooth away the doubts and sway her opinions. "Soulless things don't love, Dahlia, not the way I know you do." Dahlia turned to look at Cara, her eye glistening. The Blonde kissed her forehead gently, using both hands to gently guide her face down to lip level and planting a small butterfly light kiss on her nose and then her lips.

"So what am I supposed to do, Cara? Run from the only thing I've ever known?"

"You come with me." Dahlia's eye widened.

"What?"

"Come with us, help us defeat the keeper and Rahl. Get out of the Sisters while you still can. Be with me, Dahlia. Like you said, we were unstoppable once, but this time we can be the heroes, not the villains." Dahlia bowed her head, gently gripping Cara's forearms with her gloveless hands. If only it were that simple. If only she could walk away from her life and start anew with these people, with her love. It was against everything she'd been taught to fall in love. To have feelings that gave you a weakness, a soft spot. She couldn't just throw away an entire lifetime of strict obedience.

"I don't know how to be the hero." she admitted, feeling something weigh down the black hole that'd been her heart for many years. Shame? Guilt? Regret? Dahlia couldn't tell what emotions had begun to stir with in her "I don't think I AM good anymore..." She shook her head hard but didn't resist the blonde's arms pulling her into an embrace.

It didn't last long.

Dahlia pushed Cara away and closed her eyes, turning her head in the opposite direction, trying desperately to hide the tears that were beginning to force their way from her eyes. "Leaving Darken Rahl and fighting for the seeker are two completely separate, yet equally difficult things." she said after a long moment of silence. "Things that we aren't all lucky enough to accomplish." she turned back to look at the blonde, her signature neutral expression masking any emotions. "But if you were to run with me...if you were to leave this whole thing behind with me, I'd leave right this second."

"Dahlia..."

"I mean it Cara, you are the only person who I am more loyal to than the Rahl." she slowly lowered herself to one knee, bowing her head in a sign of respect, planting a small kiss on the knuckle of her ring finger, like she was in the presence of a queen. "I would follow you to the ends of this world, through the fires of hell and back. I would give my life to you if you wished it from me. Anything for you, Cara." she whispered softly "Everything I have is, and always has been, yours." They stood there silently for what had to be the hundredth time that night. Cara's knuckles pressed tenderly to the smooth skin on Dahlia's forehead. She stood after a moment, dropping the hand with a stern, determined look in her eyes. "I can't fight for the man I've sworn to kill. But if you come with me, we can start our lives anew in a land where no one knows us. Where we can be just Dahlia and Cara." The blonde blinked once before turning away.

"No." she said evenly. Overwhelming despair tore its way through Dahlia's heart. "Just as you have sworn your life to me, I have sworn mine to Richard and his cause. I won't abandon them now. Not when they need me the most." She turned back to Dahlia, her own kind of pain shone in her eyes. She fixed the slightly off pieces of the brunette's attire. " I wish you'd come with us, fight with me again. Next time we meet, I may have to kill you."

"Is it that easy for you to take my life?"

"Nothing is to interfere with my mission, not even you."

Dahlia stepped away from the blonde as she reached to straighten a buckle on the front of her outfit, a look of pure betrayal and agony shone in her eyes. "You best wake the Wizard, the sooner we find the child, the sooner you'll be rid of me." with that she turned away from Cara, already heading away into the woods.

Cara didn't try to stop her.

**Review and tell me if you want more, I'm writing on my ipod because my laptop broke which is a total pain but if you want more I'll give you more.**


	2. For You

**Sorry about all the mistakes in the last one. Like I said, typing on an ipod with no grammar correction or structure correction. My work is generally fairly well put together…I couldn't find a laptop before. This one'll be better, I promise.**

The plan to capture Cara had worked better than I could've dreamt. But, why is it that I felt so ridden with guilt? With shame? She easily resists the pain Lord Rahl inflicts with the agiel, giving him a taunting smirk in place of the anguish he wants to see. I've known Cara for as long as I could remember, the smug look on her face was a mask that was just barely holding its place. I found myself wincing as I watched through a crack in the door as Rahl smacked her bare flesh with the blunt weapon, I watched her muscle tense against her will as the impact wracked her weak looking body. I shoved the door open, unable to stand one more moment of doing nothing while the woman I loved was being beaten like a dog. "My lord," I interrupted the Rahl mid-swing, making his hit weak and feeble. He looked over at me, his eyes filled with impatience and frustration. "You must be exhausted" I resisted the urge to look over at the blonde whom was strung up by her wrists, her eye red and swollen with a fat lip. I felt her eyes on me all the same. "It would be an honor if you'd allow me to continue Cara's training." He hesitated before give me a proud, approving smirk. It made my stomach churn with disgust.

"Very well, Dahlia." he purred like an over fed cat, lowering his arm and handing me his torture device. "Ensure you're stern with her, breaking her for the second time may prove to be more...challenging than I'd first expected." he released the handle and walked towards the doors, the guards following him out. I glanced around us, searching the shadows for anyone who may've been watching.

"Go ahead." spat the blonde, startling me. "I'd like to see you try and crush my will." I looked into the eyes of the battered woman and saw the determination behind her words. I hesitated briefly before walking over to the crank and lowering her to her feet. She gasped with relief as the strain on her shoulder joints vanished and the pain began to ebb away. The determination was replaced by confusion as I walked back to her slowly, in case she had the thought to attack me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, touching her battered skin carefully "I never wanted this for you. I just..." I closed my eyes for a moment and bowed my head "I just wanted you back. I wanted you to be with me again like you used to…"

"Why are you trying to save me now?"

"I overheard what Rahl is planning to do to you next." I swallowed hard, squeezing my eyes shut against my revolution. "I can't let him succeed, no matter how much I want you, I can't let him hurt you like he's planning to." Her eyes began to drift close as exhaustion swept through her. I was familiar with that feeling, as the pain ebbed, the body relaxed and the mind tells you that you need to rest. But I couldn't let her rest, not now. I needed her to be awake, to be able to move on her own. I grasped her face gently, using her battered state to wake her up "Cara," I shook her slightly as her lids began to fall again. "Cara!" she grunted, eyes opening again "I need you to trust me now more than ever. Can you do that?" She stared at me for a moment, the drowsiness still shining in her eyes. She nodded and swallowed hard. I held on to the cuffs around her wrists, bashing the restraints open with the butt of my agiel. She fell forward limply, no longer having the ties holding her up. I caught her before she hit the ground and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Cara." I hissed urgently, still holding her up "I need you to run, we don't have much time." She nodded again and swayed on her feet, but stood all the same.

I took her hand and pulled her towards the doors. I knocked a few times, hiding Cara behind the wall, well out of their view. "Guards" the doors opened slowly and I waited, waited and waited impatiently for the moment to strike. When the first one appeared I rammed my ageil into her nose. A brilliant stream of bright, red blood shot from it as I kicked her hard in the chest, sending her to the ground with ease. The next I smashed in the throat, she keeled over soundlessly to the floor. I placed my boot on her neck and twisted hard, feeling the crunch as it snapped under my force. With another strong blow, I knocked out the other one and turned back to Cara, taking her hand again.

We slowly moved around the halls, careful not to make too much noise as we tried to get out. Cara faltered a few times, making us stop in order to regain our speed. "We're getting close." I whispered, turning back to the blonde, pushing the stray strands of sweat drenched hair from her face. Our journey hadn't been difficult in any sense, but her injuries made it far more difficult for her to move. Her body trembled slightly and I tried to steady her as best I could while keeping an eye out for anyone.

"You're risking everything." Cara murmured, capturing my attention once again "if you're caught, they'll kill you." Her good eye was filled with what seemed like anger and confusion. I stroked her cheek gently, trying to make her understand with my touch that she meant more to me than I'd ever be able to put into words. Her eye searched my face for any tell as to my feelings.

"Some things are worth dying for." I said simply, checking our surroundings once again.

"You think I'm worth dying for?" I blinked a few times but didn't turn back to her. A strict voice echoed through my mind, reminding me that love was a weakness, something that was bellow those who were strong enough not to feel, those who weren't supposed to feel. Cara had perfected that skill, learned how to turn her emotions on and off like a switch. But I knew Cara felt the way I did, that she cared about me as I did about her. I also knew that if she understood just how much I cared; she'd see it as a weakness too. After all, that's how I tricked her into trusting me.

I manipulated her love for me.

Her emotions.

"I owe you more than my life, Cara. That much I'm sure of." She let the conversation go and instead peaked around slightly as I did. "The others will be checking back on your status any moment now. After that, these halls will swarm with our Sisters and we won't make it far after that." I turned back to Cara, taking her hands gently in my own "I want you to promise me something." She said nothing, but held eye contact. "When you get out of here, I want you to travel back home when you have the opportunity. I want you to find my mother and I want you to tell her I died long ago, a month or so after we were taken." She blinked slowly

"You want me to lie to your mother?" I felt my eyes sting with tears and I did my best to hide it.

"It's better than her knowing the truth." I turned around and pulled her with me down the hall, holding her hand tightly. We didn't have time to slow down now. We rounded the corner and I smashed an unsuspecting sister hard across the face, snapping her head to the side and sending her falling limply to the ground. We didn't stop moving as we pulled another corner. My lungs burned with the effort. But I knew I couldn't stop. If I was to stop, we'd both die and all this would be for nothing. For a fleeting moment, a horrible thought passed through my brain; maybe it would be better to die. Maybe it'd be more merciful on me to die instead of trying to understand what it was like to live a normal life. I shook my head hard, trying to dislodge the thought. Cara's life was worth more than mine. She had her friends, the Seeker and his merry band of misfits to return to. I had nothing.

No one would shed a tear if I died.

And so it should be.

"We're almost there, Cara, just hold on." I told her as we turned down another hallway. I stopped dead in my tracks. There, blocking the exit, stood Rahl, an army of my Sisters behind him, each armed and ready. I felt Cara's back press into my own and I glanced over my shoulder; another fleet of soldiers had pulled up behind us.

"I'm surprised, Dahlia." The dark haired man murmured "I never would've thought you for a turncoat." He said in a patronizing tone, making me feel like a child caught lying. "Did you really think it'd be that simple? That you could just take Cara and get out?" his eyes hardened "You killed your own, Dahlia. That's not something I take lightly." I slowly walked Cara and I backwards, into another pathway. I knew this part of the fortress well, I knew where this path led, I knew what would happen should it need to be locked down. The sound of clinking chains resounded through the empty air as the heavy iron bar barricade was being lowered. The controls for this door were in a room down the corridor. "There's no way for you to escape, Dahlia." The man I had dedicated my life to assured me "if you come peacefully, your death will be swift, I promise." His tone was light, as if it was no big deal.

"And what of Cara? What'll you do to her?" He paused for a second

"Cara will be re-broken. She'll be brought back to the one place she belongs and serve with her family." I looked at each of the faces of the women behind him. Each filled with fury, hatred. Each cold, each hostile. I didn't know what a family was, but from what I'd heard, this was not it. How could I have thought this was what family was supposed to be? This was nothing more than a band of cursed murders, trained from childhood to kill for a man who found us expendable. I squeezed Cara's hand gently.

"Do you trust me?" I asked her again, this time she responded without hesitation.

"Yes."

In a sudden, fast motion, I swept out Cara's feet, sending her crashing to the ground. I shoved her under the closing door just seconds before it slammed into the ground, shaking the walls. I was trapped now, of course, backed into a dead end with an entire army before me. But she was free. I whipped my ageils through the air, through the bars and snapped the chain used to pull the door open again. It would be a while before they could unblock the path, more than enough time for Cara to make her escape. "Dahlia!" She cried as I pressed my back into the bars. "What have you done?"

"Run, Cara!" I commanded, hearing the snarl of outrage coming from the Rahl. He jabbed a finger at me

"Get her!" a tidal wave of red leather surged forward towards me. I blocked the first blow and kicked her back into a couple others, causing them all to fall over each other, giving me more time to throw someone into the wall. I grasped her braid and flung her at another rushing group. Soon enough though, there were just too many. A sharp blow to my ribs jarred me forward while a punch to the forehead threw me back. I crashed against the bars, an ageil smashed my forearm and a straight down hit on my head forced me on my hands and knees. I heard Cara's voice faintly scream out for me as a boot was pressed on the back of my neck, shoving me flat against the floor, face in the dirt. I knew that was it. Like I had done only a little while before, who ever had their foot on my neck was going to break it. And then I'd burn for all of eternity for all of the horrendous things I'd done. Oddly, I was fine with that. I'd served my purpose. I got Cara out."Keep her alive!" Rahl snapped, his voice harsher than before, his boot coming into my limited view. I felt my head throb like my brain was trying to escape my skull. "We may've lost Cara, but chances are Dahlia will know where she's going." He pulled my chin out of the dirt to look at him "Won't you?"

I stared into his eyes for a moment before spitting in his face.

He kicked me hard across the cheek, sending my world spiralling into the shadows.

**Every time you review, a Zombie-Unicorn-Zebra gets it's wings.**


	3. an Eye for an Eye

**Cara**

I didn't stop running until I reached the middle of the dense forest miles from the fortress. Tears streamed uncontrollably from my eyes. My legs buckled, sending me crashing into the soft grass of the clearing. I stared up at the clear night sky, feeling the gentle, cool wind caress my battered skin. I heaved in a heavy, shaky breath, my eyes still spilling tears down my face. My body screamed with agony, I felt the bruised bones, torn skin and sprained joints. My bare feet were scraped from running, the skin ground with dirt and thorns. I closed my eyes slowly, swallowing against the sick feeling in my stomach. Dahlia's actions confused me. She was the one who put my life at risk and yet, she was the one to save it in the end. I knew she felt strongly for me. I knew she wanted to be with me.

I cared for her as well, but, if placed in her same position, I couldn't say I'd do for her what she did for me.

I opened my eyes slowly again, after the tears had stopped, gripping the blades of grass in my aching fingers. I exhaled heavily, looking up at the bright stars and brilliant moon. My head pounded, skin stung…

My heart felt heavy.

But why? I asked myself, narrowing my eyes with thought. Dahlia had made a choice. She wanted to give herself for me. Why else would she have pushed me through the door and sealed herself in? Her guilt and her love had been her weakness. Just as my love had been mine. She betrayed me. She took everything we had together and threw it on the ground to serve the disgusting pig she called 'my lord'. I bit back the bile that rose in my throat. So far as I was concerned, they deserved each other. I shouldn't feel anything for her, especially after our night together, all the things she told me.

That's when realization hit me like a club in the face.

She was trying to protect me. She was trying to give me a way out. She would have run from everything she knew to save me from the others, from Darken Rahl and the Sisters. I wouldn't be safe with even Richard. She wanted to get me out before Rahl had a chance to find me again. I squeezed my eyes shut again, a new type of pain slicing through the physical. She would've given it all up to be with me because I meant more to her than anything else. More than her home, her so called 'family' and 'lord'. She'd turn her back on everything. We could've disappeared from here before Zed and the others knew we'd left. But then why didn't she warn me of the ambush? She didn't try to save me then, what changed that she'd break me out? I don't know if it was the growing numbness of the run slowing my mind but I understood after a few moments.

If I wouldn't be with her of my own free will, she'd have me after I was re-broken. I sat up slowly, unsure of how I should feel. Betrayal, anger, sadness and the need for revenge waged with regret, guilt, gratitude and undying love. So, instead of thinking about it, I heaved myself weakly to my feet and continued my long, agonizing walk through the woods.

I don't know when I passed out, but the next thing I remember is waking up in the middle of a field, the faces of Kahlan and Richard staring down at me. I blinked a couple times, staring blankly at each of them, their mouths moving but the sound seemed to be just outside my range of hearing. "Cara…" Richard's muffled voice reached my ears. "Cara, are you alright?" I blinked again and pushed myself up, feeling both sets of hands on my skin, holding me steady. I resisted the urge to throw them off, feeling irritation swelling in my battered body. Why I was so angry even I don't understand. "How did you get away?" I heard the Seeker ask, noting the stiffness in my limbs. I didn't answer. I pushed myself to my feet and began walking.

"Where are you going?" Kahlan called after me, I didn't turn back.

"I'm going to find decent clothing."

**Kahlan**

"I'm worried." I said to Richard as we sat in our makeshift camp when night fell. Cara refused to let me treat her wounds. She refused to eat and she refused to sit with us. She sat in the middle of the field we found her in, where we hadn't moved in a day or two, dressed in dark outfit similar to her red leather but the leather seemed thicker, metal studs clamped into the cuffs and boots. Richard nodded slowly in agreement. Cara had always liked to be alone and not talk to anyone but this silence was…stranger than usual. "If she'd at least eat something I'd feel better."

"She's been through a lot." Richard murmured, staring at the flames of the fire we'd built. "Have you seen the damage on her body?"

"No, maybe if she'd let me help her I would've." I looked back at Cara; her back was to us, but I could tell her eyes were on the moon. She wouldn't tell us what happened. How she escaped. She seemed more disconnected than ever. I sighed as the feeling of helplessness spread through me. I stood up.

"Kahlan…" Richard said cautiously, warning me that it would be best if I left her alone.

"She needs to talk about whatever it is that happened. If she doesn't it'll only eat her from the inside." And with that, I walked across the field to the blonde. I hadn't even taken a breath to begin speaking when she spoke.

"Go away, Kahlan. I have nothing to say."

"You haven't said anything in days."

"Precisely." I hesitated for a moment before kneeling down beside her

"Listen, Cara, whatever happened in there, you can't not talk about it. It'll only destroy you." She paused for a moment, briefly, as if weighing her options. She looked at me and then back to the moon

"Dahlia broke me out." She said softly and I was shocked.

"Didn't she get you locked up in the first place?"

"Yes." She breathed

"So, where is she now?"

"Darken Rahl captured her. She sacrificed herself to save me." She stood up, the expression on her face gave the impression that she didn't care.

"Well we have to go back for her." I said, standing up just as quickly as she did. She gave me a look I couldn't decipher and turned back towards the moon.

"There's no point." She muttered "They took her days ago; she's either dead or dying by now. And besides," she tightened the gloves covering her hands, her green eyes probing the long grass "she was a fool. We're taught not to give ourselves for others. No matter the circumstances. What she did she did out of pure emotion. A fool's mistake."

"Cara…" I said, my mind empty of responses. Was Cara truly that heartless? Could she turn her back on the woman who gave everything to save her? "Dahlia—"

"Dahlia was a fool!" She snapped, harsher than she had to "she knew the risks and yet she took it anyway!" I felt like I had whiplash. One moment Cara was void of emotion, the next she was over flowing with it. It was like she couldn't control it. I swallowed hard, realising what was going on.

"You loved her, didn't you? And she loved you which is why—"

"Why don't you mind your own business?" she barked, now grabbing the attention of the other two at the fire. "I didn't ask you for your psycho analyses oh great Mother Confessor. Dahlia made her decision. Now she has to live with it." I grabbed her arm as she went to walk away, yanking her back to me. Where my sudden anger came from, I don't know. All I knew is that I was fed up with Cara acting like she didn't care.

"We're going back to the fortress to get Zed, while we're there we'll get Dahlia too." She ripped her arm free, a look of shear anger shone in her eyes

"If there's time." And with that she turned away from me and walked towards the camp.

_**Dahlia**_

"That little stunt you pulled for the Wizard was clever, I'll give you that much." I couldn't help but chuckle, no humour of course. Just that the black eye I gave Darken Rahl made him look pathetic. He'd turned his back on me earlier, gloating about how he was going to skin Cara's friend alive and I broke the rusted chain that suspended me from the roof, whipping it around so it would smash him cleanly in the face. It worked, of course, but now they'd decided to place him in the same room I was in, make him watch me suffer until he gave up the information about where the Seeker was. They didn't want to break me anymore, they just wanted as much information as they could get before the torture destroyed me completely. So they resorted to more...outdated methods. They re-suspended me, this time using thicker chains wrapped in barbed wire so I couldn't touch them without hurting myself and restrained my ankles as well. As they stabbed the hot poker into my skin, I did what I was trained to do; I separated my mind. I placed all physical feelings into the back of my head and pulled forward the good memories, the ones I held most dear.

As the smoke rose from my seared flesh, I remembered how Cara had held my hand when we were being beaten, how just her alone had made the pain feel a thousand miles away. How we held each other all through the night, helping to keep the nightmares away. How much she still looked like that little girl today. I saw her face in my mind and smiled. As long as she was with me, in memory or otherwise, I could take the beatings and the pain until my heart stopped beating.

"But…" Rahl interrupted my thoughts, pulling a long, nail off the small table. I felt the old Wizard's eyes watching me and could sense his fear. He held the iron piece up to the light and then back to me. "I think it's only fair that I do to you what you do to me." He walked forward, holding the spike up to my face "an eye for an eye and all that." As he pressed the tip against my bottom eyelid, it became clear to me.

No memory of Cara could save me from this.


	4. Black and White

**Cara**

We entered the fortress quickly, immobilizing the guards with ease. I was in a strange mood. I was hurried, rushed to find Zed and get out, but at the same time worried. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to get out the second I stepped in the door. But Kahlan's impatient presence forced me forwards. "Do you know which way we're supposed to go?" she asked, glancing around the dark tunnels cautiously, as if an ambush might over take us at any moment.

"Cut me some slack." I snarled in response, a knee jerk reaction to pressure. "I was barely conscious when I got out. The details are a little fuzzy." I grabbed the braid of a young Sister and pulled her back into the shadows. My hand clamped over her mouth, ageil hovering just under her chin. "Scream and I'll kill you here." I hissed in her ear.

"What are you doing?" Richard gasped and I shushed him.

"Understand?" I asked the girl and she nodded after a moment. "The Wizard being held here, where is he?" she muffled her answer against my hand. I didn't pull it away "point!" I snarled. She stabbed her finger towards the east hallway.

"And Dahlia," Kahlan said from behind me. I had half the mind to turn around and beat the life out of her. Instead, I stayed still, part of me wanting to know where she was too. "Where did they take her?" the child pointed her finger in the same direction.

"What?" Richard said, sounding just as confused as I was. "How is that possible? My brother would never be stupid enough to leave them both in the same place. He knows well enough what could happen if you leave two prisoners in the same area together." I turned back to the girl, squeezing threateningly over her mouth before releasing it.

"Explain." I commanded in a fierce whisper, ensuring I had a tight grip on both her hair and my weapon. She swallowed hard once before whispering back

"Lord Rahl was going to torture the Wizard to find out where you and the Seeker were heading next. But, before he could leave the Traitor's cell, she attacked him, breaking free of the chains and damaging the Lord's face. In retaliation, he put Dahlia and the Wizard in the same cell, hoping that by harming her, he could get the old man to talk." I felt my eyes go wide. Dahlia went after Darken Rahl? To protect Zed? I shook my head; it was as if the entire world had been flipped upside down.

"Has it worked?" I demanded and she shook her head vigorously, her muscles tensing with fear as I pulled harder on the braid.

"She doesn't show an ounce of pain nor does she allow for the Wizard to speak." She whimpered, her arms moving as if to reach for the hair wrapped around my hand.

"We need to find them." Richard said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Let her go, we need to get moving." Hesitantly, I pulled the ageil away from her throat then smashed the butt of it into the back of her head. She fell forward limply and I caught her before she hit the ground, laying her carefully in the shadows, well out of the way of any through traffic. I turned to see both Richard and Kahlan's mortified expressions.

"She would've told them we were here." I said simply with a shrug and began creeping down the corridor. They only waited a moment before following.

I found the cell easily, broke open the lock and shoved the door open. Zedd was sitting in the corner, seemingly unharmed, if not traumatized. He stared straight forward. "Zedd!" I kneeled by his side, trying to snap him out of whatever daze he was in. "Zedd we need to get you out of here before someone finds us!" he didn't move. I stopped myself from slapping him and instead listened to the lost murmurs he breathed absently.

"In all my years…he just…he took it from her…still she didn't cry…there was no end…the blood…my stars, the blood…I promised him anything…he said it was too late…and then it was gone…and still she told me…still she said…'be silent'…" my blood ran cold, turned to ice in my veins. His voice was weak, void of all emotion, all feeling. "In all my years…" he began again, like his thoughts were stuck on a continuous loop. I looked back to where his eyes stared blankly behind me. On the floor was a puddle of half-congealed crimson goo. Above it were blood soaked chains, wrapped in jagged wire. I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat and shook my head. I grasped the old man's head in my hands and shook him hard.

"Zedd" he didn't acknowledge me. "ZEDD!" his eyes focused in on me and closed a couple times.

"Cara…?"

"Where is she, Zedd? Where did Rahl take Dahlia?" he blinked a few more times "ZEDD!"

"He thought he couldn't get more out of me, so he took her out of here…said something about wanting to finish the job in a place better suited…a place he thought he could do the most damage to her…" I knew instantly where he'd gone with her and stood. I shoved past Kahlan and Richard, my mind set on one goal.

I needed to know she wasn't dead.

"Where are you going?" Richard called after me. I pulled my weapons from their holsters

"I'm going to kill your brother."

**Dahlia**

The whip cracked against my skin, tearing at the flesh and sending more of the red stuff down my body. The strange thought passed through me, shouldn't I have run out by now? A large pool had formed on the floor, my reflection vibertating I stopped wincing now. There was no point anymore. I felt nothing, I saw nothing. Nothing but the memories I'd played in my mind time and time again. Her blonde hair, her green eyes glistening in the sunset we watched after we had spent the night together for the first time. How I held her, how she leaned into me, the back of her head resting on my shoulder, my cheek against hers. How her smell suddenly became my favourite.

I could've smiled.

This is what I'd been reduced to. Something without life, without reason or ability, that lived off memories from another lifetime. On the bright side, the torture would end soon. My dislocated shoulder throbbed with pressure, but no pain. I didn't even try to take the strain off of it. I would be fed to the animals anyway; they didn't care how damaged their meal was. I felt his hand touch my face, run over the hardened blood and I heard him chuckle. He said something before the door swung open and slammed again. This was the room I'd gotten my first beating in, without Cara. This room held so many terrible memories for me, so many traumatic events that shaped me into what I was. It seemed almost poetic that I should die here too.

It couldn't have been more than half an hour later that the door creaked open again, light footsteps echoed on the ground.

**Cara**

When I saw the condition of Dahlia, how many burns, how many cuts and bruises decorated her once flawless skin…it made my stomach squeeze. I walked over to her slowly and reached for her face, she appeared to be asleep. I touched the left side of her face and she jerked away from my hand, turning the shadowed part of her face into the light. Even I felt like throwing up. I understood now what Zed had been rambling on about earlier. Down the left side of Dahlia's face, a thick streak of dried blood covered her entire cheek, encrusting the lid closed. My legs felt weak, bile rose in my throat so quickly I had no choice but to keel over and empty my stomach. The others entered as I dry heaved for the second time, my stomach muscles clenching painfully and sweat forming on my forehead. Everyone gasped, Zedd hung his head in regret.

He'd taken her eye.

I shoved myself to my feet and smashed my ageils into the chains holding her up, desperately trying to get her down. "There's no point." She croaked wearily. I moved back in front of her, cupping her face carefully in my hands. Her one eye opened just barely, searching my face closely. "I thought I told you to run…" she said, her eye drooping closed again.

"You should know by now I'm never one to listen to what you say." I grunted, still hammering away at the cuffs. A tiny smile pushed at her lips.

"How is the Wizard?" she asked, swallowing compulsively.

"Alive and well, my dear." Zed said in a tired voice "all thanks to you." Her hair was shorter, I realised, awkwardly cut as if it had been a simple hack with a sword.

I didn't doubt it had been.

I pushed away the hair from her face, stopping my assault on her cuff and trying to see how badly she was hurt. "Spirits…" Kahlan gasped as I revealed a long, gash running along the side of her face, just below the hair line. Dahlia bowed her head, as if she could hide the broken ribs, torn skin and missing eye by ducking, finally realising we weren't alone. I starting pounding on the cuffs again, praying that they'd break eventually, muttering curses under my breath.

"Don't just stand there!" I snapped, whirling on the people behind me, standing there apparently stupefied. They all leapt into action and I turned back to Dahlia.

"Don't." She panted "You don't have much time and I'll only slow you down."

"I'm not leaving you again."

"Please, Cara." She said, begging me with her eye "you can't get caught. He'll do the same to you that he did to me. I can't let that happen."

"Would you just stop being a martyr?" I snarled, met by an equally defiant eye "I love you, you moronic girl! I'm not leaving you behind. So you can kick and scream and fight as much as you want but you're coming with us." I carefully wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my head against her chest and lifted. She rose enough that her arm restraints slackened, but the ones around her ankles tightened. She moaned with relief and pain, her legs able to move just enough that she could hitch her knees on my hips, making it far easier to hold her up. "He'll pay for what he's done." I whispered in her ear, feeling her short, shaggy hair tickle my neck "I promise you." I promised myself. She nodded slowly, sniffling and whimpering into my skin, her strong exterior finally crumbling. I buried my face in her neck, felt her warm skin and her comforting scent surround me. I gently swayed with her like you would a child, trying to calm her. The pain consumed me more than her.

By the time they were able to release her dislocated arm, Kahlan carefully wrapping it around my shoulders, the door to the cell pushed open and there he stood. The man who'd done this to Dahlia. The one who tortured her and used her against me. As much as I would've liked to pound him into minced meat, letting go of Dahlia now could dislocate her opposite shoulder as well. So, instead, I stood there, holding the woman I cared about, but never taking my eyes from Darken Rahl. Everyone stopped. Everyone stared at him, each with a hostile look plastered on their face.

"What a pleasant surprise" he said, mock joy staining his voice like ink. "The whole gang came for a visit."

"You sick bastard." Snarled Kahlan, stepping forward, her anger coming from her in waves. "I didn't think even YOU were capable of doing this to another human being." Richard placed the tip of his sword under Rahl's chin, backing him up a few steps.

"I'll cut that pig head off your shoulders."

"Ooh, touchy are we dear Seeker" I held Dahlia to me tighter, nodding at Zedd to continue getting the locks off. Kahlan drew her sword, standing only a few feet from us, extra protection. The ankle and remaining arm cuff were off finally, allowing Dahlia to set her feet back on the ground. She whimpered, her ankles were raw, chafed from the tight iron restraints. I slowly kneeled down with her in my arms, resting her on the floor.

"Looks like you've met a bit of resistance from your newest prisoner." Richard said, mentioning the dark circle around Rahl's eye. I could feel him glaring at Dahlia, sending her a sideways glance.

"Yes well, I seem to have gotten my revenge, now haven't I?" Richard went to drive the hilt of his sword into Rahl's nose and I stopped him and threw him backwards. All three of my companions, other than Dahlia, looked at me, flabbergasted. Rahl laughed. "My, my, Cara." He purred "finally come to our senses have we?" I grabbed his throat and squeezed. The veins in his forehead bulged as he clawed at my hand feebly. The sudden, all consuming rage that filled me turned my vision red.

My body wanted him dead more than it wanted air to breathe. My blood screamed for his and my muscles ached with the exertion.

I didn't just want it. I needed it. I needed to feel his pulse slow and stop, to feel his wind pipe collapse under my fingers, to see his eyes beg me for his life and then deny it. He dropped to his knees before me, no one had moved to stop me. I grabbed the dagger from his belt, looking at the razor sharp edge, admiring the way it glowed in the light of the fire. I heard my name being called from somewhere but I ignored it. I touched the tip of it to his forehead, twisting it gently. "You killed my son." I murmured, staring him straight in the eyes, seeing his fear…his anger and relishing every second. "You used the person I love against me and then tortured her, gouged out her eye." I pressed the length of the blade against the side of his face. "And now…" I dug it in suddenly, drawing a fresh line of bright crimson. He grunted and twitched as the line rolled down his face. "Now I kill you." I brought back the blade across my body, fully intending to drive it into the side of his head. Instead, a strong hand grabbed my shoulder, yanking me away. I managed, instead, to slice a clean cut diagonally across his face, from hair line to jaw. He howled with pain and I turned around, coming face to face with Richard.

"Zedd! Get us out of here!" Richard snapped, the collar the Wizard wore clattering to the floor. Dahlia was leaning up against Kahlan, the Confessor's arms wrapped carefully around her body. I turned back to where Darken Rahl lay on the ground and howled with outrage.

"NO!" and when I blinked, we were back in the field by our campsite. The overwhelming mixture of anguish and anger surged through me. I stood there frozen for a few moments. Then, without warning, I whirled around and smashed my fist into his forehead, knocking him down into the grass. "What have you done!" I snarled, pursuing him as he scrambled backwards. Kahlan and Zedd stopped me from moving forward. "I HAD HIM! He was going to die by my hands and you…" I narrowed my eyes "you saved him!" I lunged again, only to be just barely held back.

"We had to leave Cara!" He yelled, begging me to understand "The Mord Sith were coming!"

"You idiotic coward!" I didn't mean to take it out on Richard, really. I was furious and hurt and I just wanted someone to suffer, anyone at all. Richard was the one who'd angered me last, so he was the one to pay. "I'd rather have died than—" I heard a whimper and froze. My eyes locked on where Dahlia lay, her body crumpled on the earth. Instantly, the anger I felt diminished and worry and fear took over. Quickly, I was at her side, lifting her into my lap. "Dahlia?" I whispered, dabbing gently at her face with my finger tips.

"Hi" she breathed, staring up at me with adoration. I felt my eyes begin to tear but made no attempt at wiping them away.

"Hi" the world seemed to fall away from us, like we were the only two people left in the world. I ran my fingers along her hairline.

"I look atrocious, don't I?" she asked weakly, strangely self-conscious and I couldn't help but smile.

"You look beautiful…" I told her softly, holding her steady as a racking cough shook her entire body. Blood trickled out the corner of her full lips. Opened her eye, now pouring with tears and reach up towards me with a shaky battered hand. I grasped it gently and pressed it to my face. "You could never look atrocious." I whispered, feeling the tears begin to fall. "Never."

"Y-you know I only wanted what was best for you, right? I only wanted to help you…I only wanted to make everything better…"

"Shhh" I hushed her, cradling her head against my stomach, removing my hardened leather gloves and brushing away her tears. "I know, Dahlia, I know."

"I love you Cara…" My heart cracked in my chest, so loud I was sure that someone other than me could've heard it. I tried so hard to pretend that I could just not love Dahlia. Like I could flip my feelings on and off like a switch. Going to rescue Zed had been my own excuse to rescue Dahlia. My own way to tell myself that I didn't need her in my life now that I had the others.

How could I have been so stupid?

"I love you too Dahlia" I whispered, kissing her lips gently "I always will." Her hand fell from my face and held my own for a moment, her eye drifting slowly closed. "Dahlia?" she didn't respond "Dahlia!" her lid rose for a moment before half-closing again. "Dahlia you have to stay awake, ok? You can't rest."

"I have to…" she whispered, swallowing convulsively, her breaths shallow and uneven. An agonized expression twisted her features and forced more tears from her eyes "I can't…" I pulled her up, taking advantage of the fact that it'd cause her pain. I needed her to stay awake.

"Look" I begged, pulling at the various strings that held my outfit in place. "Dahlia, look!" I said, pulling down part of the black leather that covered my chest, revealing the smooth, pure white that lay underneath. Her eye locked onto the contrasting colour and she sobbed, pressing her face into my chest.

"Oh Cara…"

"Do you know what this means?" I asked, knowing she knew the answer. "I'm promising you forever Dahlia, I'm promising you that I'll be here every day with you." My voice began to crack "but it only works if you're here with me too." I cupped her face gently in my hands "so you have to stay awake, because I don't know what I'll do if I lose you again. You need to live. If you leave me now…after everything we've been through…after how much you showed me I could be…I don't know what I'll do." She didn't respond and I kissed her again, trying desperately to make her realise just how much of a fool I'd been. My tears mingled with hers. "I could never love another as I love you." She stopped moving, stopped breathing. I heard Kahlan sniffle and Richard kiss her hand. Zedd sighed remorsefully. I felt nothing. Numb.

She couldn't be gone.

"Dahlia." I said desperately. She didn't move. "Dahlia!" I laid her on the ground, straddling her waist, cupping her face in my hands. "Dahlia, wake up!" I was blinded by my tears, my mind fogged with grief. Someone called my name, I didn't know who. I didn't care. "Dahlia, don't you dare leave me! Not now! Not after everything!" I opened her mouth and blew, rhythmically pounding my hands against her chest. She was alive, I could feel it. I felt it with my soul, my heart, my entire being. The woman I loved was alive. I just needed her to breathe.

"Please, Dahlia…" I begged her, sobbing brokenly into her battered skin. "Please breathe…"


	5. Seven Months Later

_**Seven Months Later…**_

I released the arrow, hearing the familiar wisp of a solid shot, feeling the bow snap back into place. The arrow shot through the air, hitting my target through the mass of trees. I felt a small smile spread across my lips. It'd been months since I'd been allowed to train, months more since I'd made a decent shot.

The buck fell down lifelessly; no pain was caused by what I'd done. My new family now had a meal for tonight. I'd accomplished something to be proud of. Leaving the others, or rather that way of life, had proven…difficult at first. But after a while, it became easier to adjust to this new way of life. The months had proven trying, having lost so much. Pain was on my mind every second of everyday, but I found that, eventually, my body adjusted to it. Sometimes rising in the morning didn't seem worth it. Each day seemed worse than the last, a fester wound that worsened with time. I lowered my bow, hooking it across my body and examining the leathers that covered my body. The snow white colour that never seemed to dull, at least not when I thought of who I wore them for. I stretched my neck, raising my hand to my face, scratching at the healing skin. "Don't scratch." A wonderfully familiar voice purred in my ear, strong hands resting on my waist. "You'll only make it take longer to heal."

"It would be far easier if it didn't itch so terribly." I grumbled irritably, resting one hand over the one on my hip.

"Maybe" a small kiss touched my shoulder "but it was a brilliant shot."

"The ONLY shot." I muttered bitterly and felt lips smile against my neck. Teeth nipped at my skin.

"Oh, feeling bitter are we, my love?" she nuzzled my skin, a spread of warm love washed through my body. "Brilliant all the same." I couldn't help but smirk and turn in her arms. The green eyes met mine, "Even after having to retrain yourself." Her fingers ran along the patch covering what would've been my eye. The Confessor-er, 'Kahlan', as she preferred to be called, had fastened me a cover for the horrible remainder of the eye which had been torn from my body in the most gruesome torture I'd ever endured.

"I'm surprised you stayed around for all that…the healing, cleaning of stitches, re-setting of bones…"

"Really?" she asked, her playful tone telling me she didn't believe a word I said. "You thought that a few broken bones would send me running?" I smiled, resting my forehead against hers, my hands slowly trailing up her arms, feeling the strong muscle rippling under her skin.

"No." I said softly. She closed her eyes as I did, I ran my fingers through her hair gently and felt her sigh contently, running her fingers over scars that lay under the leather, old wounds she'd come to memorise.

_When this world had faded from my eyes, even in the dark, I heard Cara calling for me, begging me to come back to her. I felt her hands pounding on my chest, her breath being heaved into my lungs. But the pain had been too much to fight through, too numbing. I could only stay there, floating in limbo, holding onto whatever was left of my life, holding onto the thumping of Cara's hands, the feeling of her air expanding my lungs. And, when I let go, I felt her lips touch mine then a flash of white. It was if I'd been struck by lightning, as if my nerves had been electrified, brought back to life. I don't know if it'd been Cara's intention to use the Breath of Life, or an instinctive reaction that kicked in. Neither did she._

_I heaved in an agonizing breath and lurched forward, into solid body. My eye was unfocused; I swallowed compulsively, sending more burning pain shooting through my nerves. I looked around desperately, struggling to see something. I coughed out the air as my lungs tried to draw in more. The world was a large, white blur. My heart raced, head pounded. Two, strong hands held my face, one amazed, breathless voice anchored me. When I could see clearly, Cara was straddled across my lap, pushing the hair from my face with relieved desperation, her almost frantic movements pulled at the bruised skin._

"_You're alive." The smile that broke onto her face broke my heart. The tears that spilled over and down her cheeks rolled onto mine as she kissed me, clutching my broken body to hers. "You're alive." She sobbed, I held her as best I could, still panting. _

"_Forever." I whispered when I could find my voice. She looked at me, eyes full of hope, understanding. I touched the white leather with blood encrusted finger tips, noting how unbelievable soft it felt. "Forever." She smiled with so much joy she looked angelic. _

"_Yes." _

"You're hair's getting longer." She commented, pulling gently on the ends. Kahlan had re-cut my hair, bringing it to only six inches from my scalp. I felt naked without my braid, without the security of knowing it was there, a symbol of power, of strength. "Before you know it, it'll be long again."

"Maybe if you keep pulling it it'll grow faster." I teased. She yanked on my hair once hard "Ow!" My head tilted back in the direction she pulled it, exaggerating the actual pain. I heard her laugh, with happiness, amusement. It became my favourite sound the first time I heard it.

"Aw, I'm sorry." She said, having some fun with my own fake disposition. "Did that hurt?" I nodded, a fake pout on my face. She kissed my puckered lips. "I know something that could make you feel better…" she purred in my ear. I smirked, trying to hide how my heart jumped in my chest and my skin heated up.

"Oh really?" she nodded, brushing her nose against mine. She ran her finger across the long scar down the side of my face. The tissue had risen in a light pink line, cutting through my eye brow and disappearing into my hair. A sentimental edge clouded her beautiful eyes.

"You'll never understand how beautiful you are to me, will you?" I smiled and kissed her finger tips.

"Even when I look like a poor thug who got beat up too many times?" She huffed a laugh.

"You don't look like a thug." She murmured "You look like a pirate." I couldn't help but snicker.

"So, if I'm a pirate, does that make you my first mate?"

"Hmmm…" she hummed, as if thinking deeply on the subject. Next thing I knew I was on the ground with Cara laying on top of me, her knee in a very…strategic place. "I'll be anything you want." Her knee lifted and my fingers clenched by my sides. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes holding a misty, seductive edge that sent a shiver through my spine. Cara's ability to exploit the sexual tension in both men and women was her strong suit in our group. She knew just the right buttons to push to get what she wanted, whether it was to obtain something or just for pleasure it didn't matter. She was good at it, and spared me no sympathy. I'd bend to her whim with no resistance, she just liked the fun of watching me squirm.

Not that I'm complaining, of course.

"Someone's excitable today." She purred and added more pressure. My fingers clenched at her leathers, pulling hard, my head falling back, exposing my neck. She leaned down towards me at the exact time a crunching sound met my ears. We both looked up into the woods.

_**Cara**_

She would do that right then, wouldn't she?

Amidst our rather…intimate moment, the sound of teeth clashing together reached our ears. Turns out a pack of wolves were charmed by the fresh, unclaimed kill lying within the trees. "You've got to be kidding me!" Dahlia groaned, squiggling out from under me and running full speed at them, her agiel waving wildly above her head. I sighed, propping my head on my hand as I rested on my elbows.

_I watched her closely from where I sat eating breakfast as she drew her bow again, her arms shaking from the constant exertion. Dahlia's archery style was…unique. There really was no way of describing it. She relied heavily on sight and speed, being able to tell almost exactly how far something was from her was her key. So, losing her depth perception made her hand to adjust. Something Dahlia didn't do well. Her fingers were bandaged from slicing and burning them on the thin string. She released the arrow and it whizzed off to the side, embedding into a tree. "Doesn't she ever rest?" Richard asked and I didn't respond right away. I sighed._

"_Dahlia has always strived to be the best. She was the best archer I've ever known, losing her eye has robbed her of that." I turned halfway to him "She won't stop until she at least fires in a straight line five consecutive times." Four times of her loading and firing off centred, but forwards, shots, the string on the bow snapped, the hardened, smooth wood whipping forward and back and connecting with her forehead. She put a hand to her head as she fell to her knees, head curled into her chest, liquid seeping between her fingers. She gasped for a moment, withering on the ground. She grabbed her broken bow angrily and flung it off into the woods, knowing fully that she'd have to go find it later. I stood up, along with everyone else, but I was the only one rushing down the hill to her. "Dahlia." I said, kneeling by her side, touching her back gently. _

"_I'm alright." She growled, the blood trickling through her fingers said otherwise. "I should've replaced the strings three shots ago." I gently pulled her hand away from the cut. She was right. It was nothing serious, a slight gash above her right brow. I sighed with relief and turned back to the group still watching anxiously and gave them a thumbs-up. They visibly relaxed, sitting back down and resuming eating. _

"_Come on." I said softly, grasping her upper arm. "Let's eat and we'll restring your bow after we clean you up and you have some food in your stomach."_

"_Not until five shots."_

"_That last one went forward." I commented, looking at the ground not two feet from us, where the arrow had dug into the earth. She nodded, her face still showed her sadness, and followed me up the hill._

Dahlia stalked out of the trees, hands on hips, short hair blown back in the wind. "They ate it." She growled, kicking a stone. "Damn dogs." She looked down at me, noting how frustrated and annoyed I was.

"You gave up this," I said, glancing down at my cleavage suggestively, "to chase off a pack of dogs from one measly deer?" She reached down and held my hand gently, kissing my fingers individually.

"What if I told you, I was going to give you the best part of that deer?" I grunted and stood up.

"You are extremely frustrating." I said, brushing off my white leather. She looked chest fallen for a moment before I grasped the belt on the front of her suit and pulled her towards me, our bodies flush together. "But," I breathed, feeling the heat of her body through the suit, her eye trailing down to my lips and back up. "Extremely, irresistible at the same time."

"Excuse me, ladies." Kahlan interrupted us, a brilliant, crimson blush spreading like wild fire across her face and neck. "Richard and I went to a nearby village and got some food for dinner, it's ready if you'd like to join us." I eyed Dahlia, scanning her face quickly before releasing her and starting back towards camp.

_**Kahlan**_

It was strange, seeing Cara so happy. So unreserved and full of joy. Not in a bad way, mind you, just odd. I watched as they sat together, one hundred feet away from us, Dahlia leaning her back into Cara's front, the blonde feeding her some fruit as they watched the sunset. Cara laughed as Dahlia balanced a grape on the tip of her nose and rolled it into her mouth. Cara laughed so hard at something Dahlia said that tears began to form in her eyes. Dahlia rolled over to face her when the patch flipped up, revealing the patch of skin where her eye should've been. The brunette's skin immediately turned a bright red as she flipped it down and tried to move away a heartbreakingly mortified look dragging her features down. I know I couldn't possibly understand what it was like to be marred by something like that and have to live with it the rest of your life. Even Cara's Breath of Life wasn't enough to give her back the one thing she wanted healed the most. It healed most of her minor wounds, saved her from months of healing, and yet the healing had only really just begun. She was still learning how to adjust to life without depth perception, how to fight without seeing on one side. She was relentless, brutal with her training.

"_Again." She coughed, pushing herself to her feet and staggering slightly. Cara sat and watched from a tree stump, a cool expression on her face as Richard hesitantly picked up his tree branch again. It took me a while to convince Dahlia not to start with an actual sword and that a stick could be a little more forgiving. Cara said nothing, just sat and watched as her mate fought a battle she wasn't ready to win. Richard charged from the right, Dahlia's good side, and the Mord'sith knocked it away, forcing Richard onto her blindside. She turned just in time to catch it awkwardly and shove it back into Richard's gut. She went in for a back handed slap only to have her legs knocked out from under her, Richard having ducked and tripped the brunette instead. She lay there for a few frustrated moments before shoving herself back to her feet. "Again."_

"_Are you ok with this?" I asked Cara, only briefly taking my eyes from Richard's weary expression._

"_No." she said simply, the underlying strain in her voice ringing clear._

"_Aren't you going to try and stop her?" She didn't turn her head or look in my direction._

"_Dahlia is a grown woman, she knows what's best for her." She said "Dahlia knows her limit. She'll keep going at this until she's satisfied that she's improved. Then she'll return to a calmer state." She cocked her head "I wonder how long Richard lasts?" Dahlia caught the stick again, this time grabbing it tightly and smacking it back into his face and whirling around, knocking out his legs and pointing the stick at his throat. She remained still for a moment before dropping it beside the man, turning back to us and sitting by the base of the stump, perfect height for Cara to pull her fingers through her lover's hair. I ran to my love as he coughed and heaved in air._

"_Richard?" I held his face in my hands. "Are you alright?" He blinked a couple times_

"_Yeah, I'm fine." He grunted "It was a good hit. Good hit." He collapsed back down and I sighed_

_It would be a fun next couple of months._

Cara grasped Dahlia's arm before she had moved away completely, the brunette stop, looking the blonde in the eyes. Car reached for the patch and Dahlia winced away from her hand, gripping it with her own. Her lips shaped the word "don't" but she didn't fight Cara as she reached the rest of the way. She flipped the patch up again, staring at the smooth expanse of skin, tenderly running her finger over it before pulling Dahlia towards her for a warm kiss. I looked away, not wanting to impose on their moment.

They joined us as the sun began to set, gathering around the fire we built. They hadn't left each other's sight for weeks now, not counting the amount of time Cara spent drifting in and out of consciousness during her healing process. Cara wouldn't eat unless food was brought to her, refused to sleep until she was sure Dahlia would be ok for a few minutes at the most. And now they sat side by side, Cara on the log, Dahlia on the ground gently whispering in Cara's ear. Her expression had hardened, as it always did when she was torn between two things. Dahlia's exposed fingers gently brushed her cheek, Cara's eyes were focused forward on the flames. Suddenly, the blonde looked over at Richard, straightening up. Dahlia wove her fingers with her mate's. "Richard." He looked from me to her, startled by the way she was staring at him.

"Yeah?"

"I have a request." She looked hesitantly down at Dahlia who looked at her hand. She heaved a heavy sigh "Dahlia and I would like to stop in Stowecroft."

"Sure, Cara…why? Do you want to see your sister?" Cara glared at him, obviously tired of his prodding for her to reunite with her family.

"Dahlia and I have decided to take each other as mates; we'd like Kahlan to marry us." I blinked and an odd silence filled the night. Everyone stared at them with wide eyes, Richard's jaw dropped open. That was so…blunt. Even for Cara. That…I didn't even know how to respond to that. So, I said the single most intelligent thing I could.

"What?"

**So…awkwardness. I know I totally screwed up the first two chapters. BUT, in my defence, the Stanley Cup playoffs were on and I just kind of cranked them all out in one sitting. I will be re-writing the chapters I completely screwed over and posting them again…**

**And then there's the matter of the sequel . How many want one? I mean, this wasn't my best work…but if you want to know what happens, I'll write it. If not, I won't.**


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